弗朗索瓦.奥朗德(Fran?ois Hollande)周四晚宣布，他不会在明年的法国总统选举中谋求连任。

　　The unprecedented decision was driven by his historically low popularity ratings, which left him little chance of success against centre-right candidate Fran?ois Fillon and far-right National Front leader Marine Le Pen.

　　做出这一史无前例的决定，原因出自奥朗德处于历史性低点的民意支持率，这让他在中右翼候选人弗朗索瓦.菲永(Fran?ois Fillon)和极右翼国民阵线(National Front)领导人马琳.勒庞(Marine Le Pen)面前几乎没有胜算。

　　He would also first have had to face a hotly contested and potentially humiliating contest for selection as candidate of his ruling Socialist party.

　　而且，他首先还不得不面对激烈并可能自取其辱的竞争，才能成为其所在的执政党社会党(Socialist)的候选人。

　　Power and the exercise of power have not made me lose my lucidity, Mr Hollande said in a sombre television address from the Elysée Palace.

　　在爱丽舍宫发表的阴郁电视讲话中，奥朗德表示：权力和对权力的行使并未让我失去清醒的头脑。

　　I am conscious of the risks that my candidacy would create for the [Socialist] majority.

　　我很清楚我担任候选人会为（社会党的）多数党地位带来的风险。

　　Therefore I have decided not to run for president.

　　因此，我已决定不竞选总统。

　　His prime minister, Manuel Valls, is now expected to run instead in a bid to unite the fractured Socialist party — although he, too, will face stiff opposition from rivals such as Arnaud Montebourg, the leftist firebrand and former economy minister.

　　目前，他的总理曼努埃尔.瓦尔斯(Manuel Valls)预计会代他竞选，试图将四分五裂的社会党团结起来——尽管他也将面临阿尔诺.蒙特布尔(Arnaud Montebourg)等对手的激烈竞争。蒙特布尔曾任经济部长，是一个激进的左翼人士。

　　Mr Hollande is the first French president since the second world war not to stand for re-election.

　　奥朗德是二战以来首位不竞选连任的法国总统。

　　His presidency was marked by a series of brutal Islamist terrorist attacks in Paris and elsewhere and a stubbornly weak economy.

　　在他的总统任上，法国在巴黎及其他地区遭遇了一系列血腥的伊斯兰主义恐怖袭击，还出现了顽固的经济疲软。

　　An early round of tax rises after his election in 2012 to close the budget deficit and persistently high unemployment made him deeply unpopular.

　　2012年当选后初期为消除预算赤字而启动的一轮增税措施、以及居高不下的失业率，令奥朗德人气一落千丈。

　　A midterm switch to pro-business reforms failed to win him back popular backing, despite a recent uptick in the economy.

　　而中期向亲商界改革的转型，尽管令经济在近期有所起色，却也未能为他赚回人气。